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As childcare professionals, we often are negotiating pay and benefits for ourselves when working with families. Many of us wonder if we are being paid a fair salary compared to other nannies and household workers in our profession. It can be hard to find legitimate, accurate and credible information online about average nanny pay and benefits. A great source of information on the subject is the recent survey released by the INA (International Nanny Association). Their 2017 Nanny Salary and Benefits survey shines a light, not only on the average benefits and salary of in-home childcare professionals but also on how training and experience effects these numbers as well. Let's find out how your salary compares to the international averages as well as if education and experience effects your pay and benefits. Here is some information that we at Charlotte's Best Nanny found interesting from this newly released survey.

The INA survey was distributed to US nannies as well as internationally, including results from Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and others. It included 1449 complete responses, plus 388 partial responses. Of the responders, 99% were female, 92% live outside the employer's home, 42% have at least a 2-year college degree, and 77% work fulltime. 53% report that their current employment fits the nanny job description and 42% are nanny/household managers, up from 38% in 2014. 71% have more than 5 years of experience.

Some interesting facts we found from the 2017 international survey include that the average hourly rate is USD $19.14, up from $18.66 in 2014. In NC the average hourly rate for the nannies and household workers surveyed is $16.00 an hour. A little over half (52%) of nannies have had a salary increase in the last 12 months, up from 38% in 2012. Education and experience correlate with a higher hourly wage. Almost two thirds (60%) were given an annual bonus. Nannies that have taken the INA Nanny Credential Exam and/or the INA Basic Skills Assessment get paid a higher hourly rate on average. Only 64% are paid legally. 75% of nannies receive paid vacation, up from 57% in 2014, and 76% receive “guaranteed pay” when the family does not need them, up from 71% in 2014. 17% receive health insurance, full (7%) or partial (10%). There has been a slight increase in nannies having written work agreements, 69% over 67% in 2014.

2017 INA Survey Hourly Rate by State of Employment

Where do you fall within these percentages? Are your benefits and pay similar to the international averages? Trends in technology have greatly contributed to the positive changes in the nanny industry. Online classes are more readily available as well as job listings, and easily accessible online payroll services. A great way to make sure you are receiving the pay and benefits you deserve is to continue your education in childcare. Classes are offered all around your area at local community colleges, as well as online. The INA offers a Nanny Credential Exam as well as the INA Basic Skills Assessment online that is a great tool to check out. We also have regular seminars and workshops for nannies at Charlotte's Best Nanny as well to hone your skills as a professional childcare worker. So, we can see, through the survey's findings, that education and experience DO in fact affect your hourly wage for the better.

As the years pass, the nanny industry continues to grow and thrive helping to provide an opportunity for a growing career in this field. If you would like to check out the full summary of The INA Nanny Salary & Benefits Survey please follow the link below:

We hope you are enjoying your MLK Day today. Today we celebrate the birthday and life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We wanted to take this chance to share a video and craft that you can use to teach your nanny kids and children about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and work, and why we celebrate this day. We hope you will take some time out to teach your children about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day today.

Martin Luther King Jr. Video

Hand Banner Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activity for children

This is a craft you can make with your children, by cutting out different color hands and joining them together and pasting different Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day quotes on them. This would be a fun craft for children to get to learn a little more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

At Charlotte’s Best Nanny Agency we take social media safety and security very seriously. We are aware we live in the age of social media and technology. Social media can be an amazing tool used to connect people all over the world, it helps us keep up with friends and relatives, enables us to share news from around the world in an instant, and also enables us to share our vacation photos, thoughts, and feelings. Social media can be both a blessing and a curse depending on how you use it. We have seen time and time again a nanny being disqualified from being hired due to their digital footprint, over-sharing, comments that they have publicly or privately shared in groups, or having some inappropriate post on their social media platforms. We check social media and so do our families, so we wrote this blog to help our nannies and mannies maintain a professional and safe social media environment for themselves and their families.

At Charlotte’s Best Nanny Agency we believe our families, children, nannies and mannies safety in the real world and on social media is top-priority. We make every effort to do social media checks frequently on our nanny candidates and educate our candidates on proper social media behavior and their individual social media and digital footprint. We have put together tips for nannies and mannies to guide them in how they should properly represent themselves on social media and online to maintain a positive digital footprint and to make sure nannies and mannies are putting their best foot forward. We also have put together some social media safety tips and steps to take to conduct a social media audit.

"one's unique set of digital activities, actions, and communications that leave a data trace on the Internet or on a computer or other digital device and can identify the particular user or device":

"Our online browsing habits are part of our passive digital footprint, created without our consent or knowledge, but our active digital footprint, especially on social media, can more easily be managed."

How to maintain a positive digital footprint

Share your successes and positive thoughts about the world.

Share positive news

Maintain strict privacy policies online

Do not go to social media to complain about your job, pay, or other aspects, this information could easily get back to your employer or future employers.

Never ever share photos of your family's private home on Facebook.

Maintain a positive image by looking back over your photos and thinking about those photos from college that are posted, and ask yourself if those photos should be representing yourself to future employers online.

Have a professional profile photo and cover photo. Please do not use a photo of you drinking an adult beverage, wearing an offensive shirt or outfit, or any political or religious profile or cover photos. Be aware that somethings bother some people and not others. So we recommend a professional head-shot and cover photo that shows your personality but does not offend anyone.

Maintain a professional LinkedIn page. You never know when an opportunity may present its self. Also, LinkedIn with as many people as possible to buidl your professional network.

Manage what information is online about you, and if you have control of something that you posted or someone else posted about you, take the steps to have that information removed if you can.

Check your privacy settings every few months on all social media platforms. Privacy settings are constantly changing and some information can become public without warning.

Every few months do a social media audit and check your digital footprint and see what information is being shared about you online.

Private post, are not private. Understand that a private post can be shared, be aware of everything you post online whether public or private. Be aware that everything you post whether it is on your public or private Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram page can be made public or shared. That goes for public and private groups. Nothing online is private, so always think before you post, as you never know who may see your post one day.

Use common sense safety skills online. This includes not revealing anything too personal about yourself such as SSN, phone number, address etc. unless you are prepared for everyone to have that information.

Social Media Safety Tips

Never share your location online, especially with children and when you are going places by yourself.

Do not share images of children without written permission from their parents.

If you do share approved photos of children, make sure your profile is private.

Do not publicly state in a public or private group where you are going to be with your nanny kids. Please do not say "Me and my nanny kids, ages 3 and 5-years-old are going to be at Freedom Park Monday at 10:00 am", this opens you up to someone unwanted showing up at that location. Instead, you might say "If you are looking to join a play date PM me and I can coordinate a fun activity with you next week." This is a better way of having one on one private communication about your plans.

Do not share information with people you do not know. Use the "stranger-danger" concept online and always be aware of who you are talking to online.

Do not friend or let anyone follow you on social media that you do not know. You do not have the most friends on Facebook, followers on Twitter or Instagram, that will never happen, so do not feel pressured to accept anyone's request.

Block anyone who makes you uncomfortable. If you feel you need to totally break communication with someone, do not be afraid to block them online.

Be aware that everything you post whether it is on your public or private Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram page can be made public or shared. That goes for public and private groups. Nothing online is private, so always think before you post, as you never know who may see your post one day.

Social Media Audit

Google yourself. Everyone should Google themselves everyone and a while and see how they are being represented online. It is amazing how much information the public can see about you on Google. Google yourself and make sure you are putting the best image available online.

Update all your social media profiles as needed. It is important for you to keep your profiles up-to-date. So use this time to edit and update your profiles.

Think before you post! Think would I want this on a billboard with my name on it?

Make your profile private! This is not to hide from anyone, it is just to establish a professional public image and protect your social media accounts from being accessed by someone who you do not want to have access to your social media.

Nanny Holiday Bonus and Gifts The holiday season is here, and that means that the year is wrapping up and it is time to think about a holiday bonus/gift to show your nanny how much you appreciate their support throughout the year. Many parents ask me if they should give their nanny a holiday…

Giving Tuesday 2017 We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping. Now that you have enjoyed time with family and friends and bought gifts for family and friends it is time to start thinking about giving back. Today is Giving Tuesday and we would like you to take some…

It is that time again believe it or not. Time for our annual list of Christmas tree lightings and parades, as well as details on the Menorah lighting at South Park Mall. We hope that your family has a very happy holiday season and are able to enjoy one of the following events with your…

Happy Veterans Day Charlotte's Best Nanny Agency is wishing everyone a Happy Veterans Day! We hope each one of you will take some time out today to show your appreciation to the veterans in your life and in your community. At Charlotte's Best Nanny Agency we want to take this time to thank all of…

Halloween Costume Contest 2017 Thank You to all who entered our Halloween Costume Contest of 2017! There were a lot of great entries this year. It was hard to pick a winner this year, so this year we ended up with a tie. Scroll through the entries below and under our 2017 costume gallery you…

Southern Christmas Show Let’s go to the Southern Christmas Show…….. I hate to do this post the first day of November, but it is that time again, time for the annual Southern Christmas Show, at The Park Expo in Charlotte NC. This year the Southern Christmas Show will be held between November 9th-19th. As a Charlotte…

Charlotte's Best Nanny Agency is excited to announce our second annual Costume Contest. All you have to do is submit a photo of you, your child, or your family's Halloween costume this year. The winner will win a 25.00 gift card to Brixx Pizza.Winner will be announced Friday, November 3rd. Good look to all of our contestants this year. We can not wait to see all of your fun costumes this year!

To submit your costume contest entry, email your photo with your name or family's name and phone number to info@charlottesbestnanny.com

*Please note that all photos will be shared publicly, so please submit photos you are ok with Charlotte's Best Nanny Agency sharing on social media and our website.*